


A Thousand Ways To Say Hello

by showmeyourtardis



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Modern, Modern!Merlin, Multichaptered, Post 5.13, Reincarnation, Reunion, modern!arthur
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-24
Updated: 2014-04-14
Packaged: 2018-01-16 21:01:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1361701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/showmeyourtardis/pseuds/showmeyourtardis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin meets an obnoxious stranger on the train, whom he just can't seem to shake off. This is the tale of a thousand hellos and regrettably a thousand goodbyes. Reunion fic features Modern!Merlin, Modern!Arthur and brief mention of other characters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Still in the process of moving my works over from ff.net, so have a short-ish reincarnation I wrote.

“Is this seat taken?” The voice asked. 

Without looking up from the book claiming all his attention, Merlin shook his head. He felt the person sit next to him, the seat cushion compressing in response, but still he did not look up. The book was too thrilling, the tale of dragons and thrones and epic battles. All seemed so magical and faraway, what could real life possibly have to offer him compared to this?

The person next to him, Merlin assumed he was male judging from the clothes he could see in his peripheral vision, pulled out a newspaper and began to rustle through it. Merlin took a deep, calming breath and resisted the urge to get up and move. He knew the other carriage would be emptier and quieter. But he didn't want to offend the man, maybe there was a reason he had chosen this seat instead of all the others. Either way Merlin continued reading the words in front of him.

But the rustling, and the occasional sigh from the man next to him, stopped him from drifting off into the land of myth and time of magic. Instead, he was just a twenty-four year old sat on a train, heading to a boring secretarial job.

Merlin carefully placed his bookmark in the book and clapped it shut. He turned to stare out the window at the blur of buildings.

“Good book?” The same voice pulled him out of his daydream.

“Sorry?” Merlin asked, turning to face the man for the first time.

He had blond hair, slightly damp from the September rain. He was wearing a smart, crisp suit with a red tie.

It was the strangers turn to be occupied, he continued to read the newspaper as he replied, “The book you're reading, is it good?”

Merlin paused, he wasn't used to strangers talking to him on the train, it wasn't exactly normal, eventually he replied, “Yes.”

The man nodded once and turned the page of the newspaper, apparently finished with conversation. Merlin raised one eyebrow at how odd that was, and turned back to the rain dropped window. The sudden blur of green trees outside told him he was near his stop. There was just one more stop to go until the end of the park, and the large grey building would leer down at Merlin as he stepped off the train platform.

Merlin sighed, he hated his job. It was dull and repetitive and he was pretty sure Uther, his boss, would fire him at the slightest provocation.

The train slowed and the automated woman's voice announced they were at Picadilly Park. Merlin shrank back in his seat, as though this might prevent the train from setting off again. The rustling increased as the man next to him folded up his paper and stood up.

Before leaving he turned to Merlin, and Merlin was suddenly lost in a swirling pool of the brightest blue. Yeah, Merlin's eyes were blue, but they were not _this_ blue.

“What's it called?” The man tucked his newspaper under his arm, and at Merlin's confused expression he added, “The book.”

The man quickly glanced to the ever shrinking line of people leaving the train, Picadilly Park was always a popular stop, knowing he had little time before the train would leave again.

“The Lake of Avalon.” Merlin said.

For a second, the man got the strangest look on his face, but it was lost before Merlin could decipher it. He smiled and left.

Leaving Merlin subconsciously mirroring that smile for the rest of his shift.

 

*******

Merlin yawned and stuffed the documents into his backpack. He tugged uncomfortable at the stiff shirt collar around his neck, as he stepped onto the train. He was exhausted, his hair felt dirty even though he had washed it before work, and his stomach rumbled angrily at the absence of lunch.

After a quick inspection of his ticket, Merlin was settled into his usual seat, his head resting against the cold window. The train started and the soft swaying of the carriage rocked Merlin to sleep.

He dreamt of a forest.

_He was running, his heart beating harder and louder than ever before. The trees whizzed past and branches snagged at his skin and clothes._

_But he wasn't alone. He could feel a warm hand wrapped tightly around his. The person was slightly out of view and Merlin couldn't quite focus on them. All he could see was the hand and the arm, leading him through the forest. Running with him._

_Occasionally, an arrow would zoom through the air and stab into a nearby tree. Merlin's heart would jump and sputter each time, but he never feared for his own life. There was just one word pulsing in his head, pulsing to the rhythm of his heart._

**_Protect, protect, protect._ **

_But protect what, who?_

_Merlin twisted his head around, confident the hand on his would guide him safely, and saw a group of, what looked like, bandits running after them. They're teeth bared and crossbows aim._

_Then suddenly there was a burning sensation across Merlin's chest and a flash of gold. And then they were falling._

Merlin jolted awake, panting heavily. His head was still pressed against the cold window, soothing the heat now spreading across his face. He gulped and shrugged it off, it was just a nightmare.

“Is this seat taken?” That same voice was back.

Merlin decided he should be a little less rude than before. Besides, seeing someone else might take his mind off that nightmare, and the falling...

He offered up the seat with a simple, “No.”

“You look tired.” The man said after he took his seat.

He pulled out the same newspaper from before and resumed his place.

“I am.” Merlin said, albeit a bit bluntly as he resumed his napping attempt. After all, manners only go so far when you're sleep deprived.

“Tough day at work?” The man turned a page.

“Mmhmm.” Merlin hummed in response, hoping the man would shut up.

“ _Shut up Merlin.”_

Merlin snapped up and glared at the man.

“What did you say?” He asked angrily.

The man seemed taken aback by the sharp tone and looked away from the paper. The swirling blue was back, now Merlin could see greys and golds sprinkled in there too. But he refused to be sucked into the galaxy of this man's eyes, he had just been incredibly rude.

“I'm sorry?” The man asked, clearly lost.

“I don't appreciate being told to shut up by strangers! Especially ones who invade my space and don't shut up themselves; asking me about my book or waking me up. Overall acting like a... Like a... Like a royal prat!” Merlin finished his rant with a fold of his arms, and stared forward down the carriage.

He could feel the man staring at him, but he refused to acknowledge him.

Eventually there was a clack of teeth as the man shut his shocked mouth and turned away.

“I didn't say anything.” He muttered to his newspaper.

“What?” Merlin said, his arms unfolding slightly.

“I didn't tell you to shut up. Although that rant definitely entertained me, thanks.” With that, and an obnoxious wink, the man folded his newspaper and got off at his stop.

_"He did say shut up."_ Merlin thought. " _Unless..._ _Maybe I dreamt it, he doesn't even know my name._ _Oops..."_

“We are now arriving at Oxford Road Station, please take all your belongings with you when you depart. Thank you.”

 

  *******

That night when Merlin climbed under his sheets, he hoped he wouldn't have that dream again. It was horrible. It wasn't just the bandits and the arrows, it was the pressure he felt. He felt so much weight on his shoulders, it was important he had to protect something. But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't figure out what he needed to protect. The more he pushed to remember, the less of the dream he could actually picture.

He shrugged and pulled the sheet up to his chin.

He drifted off into the land of sleep.

Which looked a lot like a forest...

 


	2. Chapter 2

For the rest of the week, Merlin's days became pretty repetitive. Each day, at exactly 7:11am, the blond man would board the train and ask if the seat was taken. By now, he should probably realise the seat would never be taken, but he still asked.

By Wednesday, the two men were holding conversations for longer than just two sentences. They weren't exactly riveting conversation, just casual chatter. About the weather, or Merlin's book, or the news, or work. As it turned out Arthur worked in the sister company to Merlin's.

Each conversation started with _is this seat taken,_ and ended with a wink and a wide grin. And each night, Merlin would go home and dream of the forest.

By Thursday morning, Merlin found himself dreading the train ride a little less than usual.

*******

 

On Friday, the conversation about the _unusual August sun today_ , trailed into silence. Merlin hadn't brought his book with him, assuming the conversation would last until the man had to depart. They sat together in silence for a while, listening to the click of the train tracks, before the man shifted and cleared his throat.

“So are we ever going to have a proper date?” He asked.

Merlin inhaled sharply and consequently choked on the coffee in his mouth. He coughed and spluttered for a while, as the man continued to look at him. Eventually Merlin found his voice.

“What?” He burst out.

“Don't get me wrong. I love our train dates, but I'd prefer something a little more romantic. Maybe a little more... Horizontal.” The man smiled, arching one eyebrow.

Merlin's voice was at a loss again. He opened and closed his mouth uselessly for a while. The man never took his eyes off him. Before Merlin had replied, the voice announced they were at Picadilly station. The man looked put out at the lack of response. He stood and walked off the train platform.

Leaving Merlin still struggling for words.

*******

 

Later that day, due to a cruel amount of paperwork, Merlin didn't leave the office until long after the last train had gone. He had the option to either do the paperwork here tonight or come into the office tomorrow, a Saturday. Frankly, he'd rather have to fork out a stupid amount of money for a taxi than come in to work tomorrow.

Secretly, he was glad to avoid the man on the train as well, but he didn't admit that.

So it was sometime after midnight, Merlin was sat in a foul-smelling taxi, watching the occasional car blur past.

*******

 

The next morning, Merlin stretched, groaned and buried further under his sheets.

Saturday's were easily his favourite day. Sundays were his lazy days, the days where he read, or baked, or watched season after season of his favourite show. But Saturdays. Saturdays were anything he wanted them to be, they were an all-you-can-eat-buffet of things to do.

He could call Gwen and listen to her bitch about her recent love affair. He could visit his mother, although that wasn't exactly appealing, because the whole when-are-you-going-to-settle-down conversations were awful. So instead Merlin dedicated the morning to lounging in bed.

At 10:30am he crawled out of his bed and went to make breakfast. Or more, he went to see the total lack of food in his kitchen cupboards.

*******

 

Merlin always hated shopping on Saturdays. The shop was too full of people, all bustling around only caring about where they needed to be. He weaved through the crowds, putting various items into his trolley, calculating how much he was spending.

It was while he was choosing between angel cake mix or devil food cake mix, he heard, “Is this seat taken?”

Quick as a flash, Merlin spun around. In front of him stood the man from the train. He was out of his usual suit, and instead he wore a pair of jeans and a red long-sleeved shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Allowing Merlin to see the muscles of his forearms.

“You! Are you following me?” Merlin narrowed his eyes.

The man rolled his eyes, “Yes, stranger I met on a train, I'm following you.”

He had an obnoxious air about him that angered Merlin. On the train it never really came out, but here he could practically see the swagger in the man's walk.

The man reached past Merlin's head, allowing Merlin to smell the aftershave he was wearing. It was woodsy and made Merlin want to build a campfire and watch the stars. But then the daydream blurred into that all too familiar nightmare of running through the forest.

Merlin jumped away from the man's arm and ended up bumping into a rather grumpy old woman. She shouted something about _ignorant young people_ and stormed off. The man froze for a second, staring at Merlin, before pulling out the flour he had been reaching for. Merlin felt heat rise up his neck as a smile played on the man's lips.

The man winked at Merlin once more, before breezing past down the aisle.

“Name's Arthur, since you didn't ask.” He threw back over his shoulder, never slowing his stride.

“Merlin.” Merlin called back at his ever retreating form.

“Has anyone ever told you how cute you are, Merlin?” He heard the man – Arthur – laugh as he turned into the bread aisle.

Merlin hesitated. He dropped both cake mixes into his trolly, before jogging after Arthur. He found him squeezing a loaf of bread to see if it was stale.

Merlin ran over and before he could open his mouth, Arthur said, “Are you following me, Merlin?”

He gave his signature wink and a flash of his pearly whites, before placing the bread back on the shelf.

“I... Don't flatter yourself.” Merlin replied, slightly caught off guard.

He turned and began to walk away.

“Wait!” Arthur shouted, Merlin felt a warm hand on his shoulder pulling him back.

Merlin turned, determined to look annoyed at Arthur, but in reality Arthur knew he had him interested.

“What?” Merlin burst out after a long period of Arthur staring at him.

Arthur's face changed from playful to serious, he moved closer to Merlin, his face inches from his.

_He's going to kiss me_ the thought was gone before Merlin had chance to figure out how he felt about that.

“Which do you prefer, white or whole-grain bread?” Arthur asked, his serious expression dissolving into a wide grin.

Merlin glared at Arthur. He shrugged off his hand and stormed off down the aisle.

“This doesn't count as a proper date!” Arthur shouted after him, followed by that beautiful, infuriating laugh.

 


	3. Chapter 3

It had been three weeks, since the first _is this seat taken,_ and finally, Arthur had stopped asking. Now he just stepped on, took his seat, and resumed whatever conversation had been cut short from yesterday.

He hadn't ceased asking for a date and Merlin hadn't ceased being completely speechless each time. Arthur didn't seem to take Merlin's silence to heart though.

“So, date tomorrow, yes or no?” He asked one cold Thursday evening.

He was dressed in his usual suit and tie. Merlin had on his usual suit, with a jumper over his shirt instead of his blazer. Arthur had commented on how 'cute' he looked in it this morning.

“Yes.” Merlin hadn't consciously decided to answer.

Both men stared at each other in silent shock at Merlin's answer. Arthur recovered first.

“Good. That's... That's good.” He said.

“Yes.” Seemed to be the only thing Merlin could say.

“Erm... We could go for a drink at The New Found Out pub, tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

“I'll meet you at seven.”

“Yes.”

“Merlin?”

“Yes?”

“Are you capable of saying anything else?”

“No.”

Arthur laughed before getting off at his stop.

*******

The next day seemed to fly by, until Merlin was sat at his desk watching the clock tick it's way to half five. Soon Merlin would be free from work, he would practically race home, spend half an hour deciding on what to wear, attack the useless pile of black that was his hair, and then race to The New Found Out pub.

And then... Well, when Merlin thought about what would happen at the pub his mouth went dry and anxiety built in his chest. He couldn't tell whether he was more scared or excited. It was probably an equal mix of both.

Merlin turned away from the clock at the sound of the elevator dinging. The familiar clack of shoes came down the corridor. Uther was on his way. Merlin made sure he looked busy with his computer when Uther reached his desk. Truth be told, Merlin had turned his computer off about an hour ago, but the screen faced him so there was no way Uther could tell.

“Merlin, did you finish those files for the Core Offices?” Uther asked, in his usual sneer.

His grey hair was perfectly parted on the right, nothing like the mop on Merlin's head. _Or like the organised mess on Arthur's head,_ he thought.

He wore a prim grey suit, and shiny black shoes. Everything about him screamed I mean business. He would take nothing from no one. No doubt, without the suit and the uniform hair he wouldn't look quite so scary. But in the office, he was the dragon that lurked in the darkness, burning anyone who was anything less than 100% productive.

Which was bad news for Merlin, who had spent the most part of the day daydreaming of Arthur's eyes.

“I've sent it down to Ange.” Merlin replied, sitting up straighter in his chair.

Ange had a similar job to Merlin, but she was the office's receptionist, while Merlin was Uther's personal secretary.

“Well done.”

Merlin smiled at the slightly patronising comment.

“As a reward for all your good work, I'm going to give you full reign on the consumer prospect report. Have it on my desk by tomorrow morning.” Uther turned to walk away from Merlin's desk.

Merlin's voice stopped him, “But!”

Merlin's voice shrunk away when Uther turned his grey, cold eyes onto him, “Yes?”

“I can't write the full report before tomorrow.” At the look on Uther's face he added, “Sir.”

“Merlin. Need I remind you, you're already on thin ice after your little incident in June?”

“With all due respect, Sir, my mother was hospitalised. You could have hardly expected me to come into work, when my mother could have been dying.”

“Did she die?”

“No but-” Merlin was cut off.

“Then with no due respect, Merlin, you had no right to leave. I want the report done for tomorrow, eight am. Work all night if you have to. If it's late, you and I can have a little chat behind the grey door.”

The grey door, was code in the office for the firing room. Anyone who walked through the grey door with Uther, came out unemployed. Merlin gulped.

“Yes Sir.”

Uther, stony expression carved into his face, returned to the elevator, to go home. He didn't have to stay all Friday night.

Merlin glanced at the clock as he turned his computer back on. Five thirty five. He could be heading home right now. In about ten minutes he'd be on the train, Arthur would board. He imagined the conversation being solely about their date tonight. Arthur would act cool and casual but inside, Merlin knew he'd be excited. Merlin wouldn't be able to hide his own excitement.

Right now though, Merlin was feeling anything but excitement. There was no way he could contact Arthur, he would think he'd been stood up. He probably wouldn't sit next to Merlin on the train now, leaving Merlin once again dreading his train rides to work.

Merlin dropped his head forward onto his desk. The computer played the usual beeps as it turned on, forcing Merlin to open a new document and begin typing the world's most boring essay.

His eyes unfocused as he stared at the screen, his fingers typing without needing to be told what to.

Before he knew it, it was quarter past eight. And his wrists ached from the repetition. He decided going for a walk would ease his tight muscles. He followed the white tiles past the dark, empty offices. It seems he was the only one duped into working tonight.

He wandered down to the staff room and flicked on the coffee machine. He leaned back against the counter and stared unseeingly at the wall. He was exhausted, sometime while typing he had figured out he had so far done a twelve hour shift, and he was still nowhere near finishing the report.

“Merlin?” Ange had to ask twice before she got a response.

Merlin snapped up, “What? Oh, hi Ange.”

Merlin poured himself a cup of black coffee and blew on it.

“What are you doing here?” She walked over and poured herself a cup.

She was a short, stout woman. Her hair was rolled into tight blond ringlets. She was the nicest person in the office, and had a surprising sense of humour.

“Consumer Prospect Report.” Merlin shrugged.

“Is that just another way of saying, let's ruin Merlin's evening?” She laughed, pouring milk into her cup.

“Yup.”

“If it helps at all, I have to stay until the last person leaves. So as long as you're here, I am too.”

“Sorry.”

“Don't be, it's not your fault.”

Merlin waved goodbye and returned to his desk. Resuming his typing, his mind drifted off to what Arthur was doing right now. An hour and a half after Merlin was supposed to meet him, he was probably hurt or angry or...

He was cut off by the shrill ring of the phone on his desk. He pushed the heels of his palms into his eyes before picking up the phone.

“Yes?” He asked.

“Merlin? There's a man here to see you.”

“What?” Merlin's heart sped up.

“He says he has the results of Tuesday's survey.”

“Oh.. I'll be there in a second.” Merlin felt deflated, for a moment he thought it would be Arthur.

He downed the rest of his quickly cooling coffee and slouched to the elevator. Pushing the G button more times than necessary, he felt the lift set off downwards.

The doors opened with a ding and he walked over to Ange sat at the desk.

“Where is he?”

She pointed behind him, and Merlin turned around.

In front of him stood a man in a plaid shirt and jeans. His blue plaid shirt was buttoned to the top with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His blond hair was that kind of messy that suggested he had just rolled out of bed, but more likely he had done it that way himself.

He smiled a huge grin as he said, “The survey results show you stood me up, Merlin.” 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS CHAPTER was a toughie. I wanted so much to happen but I didn't want to rush any of it, constructive criticism welcome yo. 
> 
> ALSOOOOO ratings, cos y'know I'm a good person, I'm gonna give this a big fat M-Rating because while I do not smut it up as much as I have in the past, there is still a lot of heavily implied smut and a small amount of language, so bam-a-lam have an M-rating.

*******

 “The survey also shows, you're still very cute in your jumper.” Arthur added after a short silence.

“...Still sticking with the survey bit?” Merlin asked.

“Hey! It's a clever idea. It got you down here, and I bet you had no idea it was me.”

“I knew it was you. Of course I did.” Merlin said.

“Liar.”

“Shut up.”

Arthur smiled at Merlin and then walked over to Ange's desk.

“Thanks for that Ange. I'm hereby relieving you of your duties for tonight, go home and read a book.” He smiled that charming smile, causing Ange to look slightly flustered.

“I can't leave until Merlin leaves.”

“Don't worry, he's leaving with me.” He threw in a suggestive wink.

Ange didn't need to be told twice, she practically ran out the door, shouting something about locking up behind them. Arthur turned back to face Merlin and sat on Ange's desk. He picked up what looked like a stress ball, and threw it up in the air a few times.

“You know, I've always wanted to do it in my office.” Arthur mused.

Merlin smirked, “Arthur I can't leave. I have work to do.”

“Blow it off.”

“I can't.”

“Yes you can.” Arthur jumped down and walked over to Merlin.

He was inches away from Merlin's face again, his eyes flicking down to Merlin's lips every few seconds. Merlin could smell the mint on Arthur's breath, and suddenly regretted drinking that coffee a few seconds ago.

“Are you going to ask me about bread again?” Merlin whispered seductively.

Arthur laughed and pulled away from Merlin, “Idiot.”

Merlin smiled.

“Come on! One drink! Please! Don't make me beg.” Arthur continued.

Merlin smiled but just shook his head, “I'm sorry.”

He turned away and reluctantly walked towards the lift.

“Fine you asked for it.” He heard Arthur say.

Next thing he knew, there were arms wrapped around his legs, almost tripping him over. He twisted round to see Arthur clinging to his legs.

“See, I'm actually begging now.” Arthur grinned.

“Arthur-” But he was cut off as Arthur tightened his grip, causing Merlin to trip and land with a thud.

“Oops.” Arthur whispered, not sounding at all apologetic.

Merlin squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed a hand over his head. Arthur crawled up to his head and smiled down at him.

“You know what would help that headache? A drink.”

“Fine, fine. If you're going to start abusing me, I guess I have to!” But it was clear on Merlin's face that he wasn't being made to go.

*******

It took exactly eighty flirty smiles, nine cheesy pick up lines, four pints of beer, three hours and one failed game of darts to get them to this stage.

A little wet from the rain on the way home, snuggled up in a taxi. Merlin had his head resting on Arthur's shoulder, while Arthur played with his hands. Merlin watched dreamily as Arthur stretched his fingers out, bent them into a fist and then stretched them out again. He stroked his thumb across Merlin's nails, Merlin leaned back and smiled at him.

Arthur looked over and smiled back at him, his tongue gliding once over his lips. Merlin wasn't sure whether it was the smile, or the hands, or the eyes, but it all compelled Merlin to lean forward and touch his lips briefly to Arthur's.

When he pulled back, he was glad to see a look of shock on Arthur's face. Arthur quickly composed himself, and moving his hand to the base of Merlin's neck, he pulled him up towards him. Their lips met and they fell into each other. Hands roamed through hair and under shirts. They giggled and sighed and whispered against each other's lips.

Until a loud throat clearing interrupted their efforts, “'scuse me fellas. But I can't be havin' none o' that in my cab. It'll be extra fair if ya don't stop.”

Arthur untangled himself from Merlin and readjusted his shirt, “Sorry.” He muttered.

“S'alright. I ain't close-minded or nuffin.” The taxi driver explained, “People can do whatever they want wiv whoever they want. I just don't want shagging in my backseat. Last time that happened it was stained with-”

“It's just on the left after the lights.” Merlin interrupted quickly.

Merlin ran a hand through the extra messy hair on his head, and Arthur blew into his ears, sending shivers down his spine. Merlin playfully swatted Arthur's face away.

“Here we are.” The taxi pulled up to the side of an apartment complex.

After the taxi had been paid, plus a small tip for all the snogging, the man drove off with a hearty, “You lads have fun tonight, yeah?”

Merlin interlocked his fingers with Arthur and lead him up to the front door.

_We will_ he thought.

*******

So here they were, sat on Merlin's bed. Neither of them were drunk, after all they'd only had two drinks each. Still they couldn't stop giggling as their hands roamed each others bodies. Arthur pulled Merlin's jumper over his head, Merlin's cheeks were flushed and Arthur thought it was the cutest thing he'd ever seen.

He kissed his cheek for the first time, causing Merlin to smile shyly. Arthur couldn't get over how cute Merlin was.

After a short amount of kissing, Arthur somehow ended up on top of Merlin. Neither men knew how or when it happened, but they were both glad it did.

They weren't quite kissing now. Their lips were open and touching, but they were just breathing each other in. Merlin arched his neck to try and get more contact, but Arthur merely smiled and pulled further out of reach.

His lips ghosted down Merlin's neck. His warm breath tickled and Merlin longed for the lips to just make contact already. But Arthur was a tease, he wouldn't give Merlin what he wanted just yet.

Arthur could hear Merlin's excited breath and his pulse quickened under the touch of his lips.

Eventually, he got bored of the play and nibbled his teeth into the flesh of Merlin's neck, not hard enough to break skin, but strong enough to elicit a moan of pleasure from Merlin's lips. Arthur thought that moan was beautiful, and he decided to do everything in his power to make Merlin moan again.

Arthur smiled against Merlin's neck and continued trailing his lips down to Merlin's collar bones. Then to his shoulders, and his chest, and his stomach, and his hips. His hand strayed to the top of Merlin's suit pants, fingering the zip and then... He moved back up again.

Merlin let out a sigh of frustration. Arthur heaved himself up so he was hovering over Merlin's face again.

“Problem?” He asked, smirking.

“Just stop!” Merlin shouted, much to Arthur's amusement, “Stop teasing and just kiss me for fuck's sake!”

“Am I annoying you?” Arthur was shocked at Merlin's outburst to say the least. The power Arthur had over him, it was thrilling.

“Prat.”

“That's not very nice.”

Finally, he gave Merlin, and himself, what they both needed.

*******

Merlin woke gently to the feeling of the cold September wind on his face. He smiled when the memories of last night caught up to him. Strangely, the most vivid image was of Arthur's tattoo. On the left of his chest, close to his heart, was a sword tattoo with a crown of roses.

With his eyes still closed he rolled over and reached across the sheets to find Arthur. But his hands just grasped fabric.

“Arthur?” He whispered.

He opened his eyes and looked around the room, as though Arthur might appear in the corner, with that usual smile, and call him an idiot for thinking he'd left. But he didn't. It was just Merlin here.

Merlin tried to ignore the crushing feeling in his chest as he got out of bed. He wrapped the sheet around him and wandered into the hallway, into the living room, and finally the kitchen. Each time calling Arthur's name, and each time no response came.

Until finally, Merlin was stood in the kitchen, the tiles cold against his feet, realising he was alone. He rooted around the living room for his phone and checked it, no new messages. He sighed, looking for any kind of explanation.

Maybe he worked Saturdays? Maybe he had popped out for a coffee run? Maybe Merlin meant nothing to him... No, it definitely was not the last one.

Merlin opened his contacts and clicked Arthur's recently added name. He stared at his phone screen for a little while before sitting back on his couch. He began typing.

“ _Hey Arthur just wondering-”_

Merlin deleted it and started again.

“ _Arthur where-”_

Merlin deleted it again.

_“Thanks for last night-”_

Deleted.

“ _Missed you this morning, my bed was too empty.”_

Merlin hesitated before pressing send. That message was fine, it was casual and not too clingy. He saw no reason for Arthur to ignore it.

But seconds passed and his phone didn't beep.

Minutes passed and still his phone didn't beep.

After an hour, Merlin threw himself back into bed, pretending he couldn't smell Arthur's aftershave on the sheets. 


	5. Chapter 5

_The Prince grabbed the Princess and kissed her hard. It could be the last time he saw her, he wouldn't waste a second of it with the useless goodbyes. He would kiss her and pretend he would come back tomorrow, even though, deep down, he knew he would not._

Merlin slammed the book shut and threw it into his briefcase with a thud. He had started to bring The Lake of Avalon back on his train rides because he was alone now.

Arthur hadn't been on the train since that night. At first, Merlin had assumed he was sick, but he didn't show on Tuesday either. Now it had been two weeks and it was Monday again, and Merlin assumed he was finished with him. He had gotten what he needed off Merlin, he didn't need him anymore.

Merlin felt humiliated and used. He pulled his blazer closer to him. He should've worn his jumper but now it had memories knitted into it. Memories that hurt Merlin when he thought about them. They didn't hurt because he hated the memories, they hurt because he loved them. He would go back to that night in an instant, even if it meant having to live through these weeks of heartbreak again.

As was his new habit, Merlin closed his eyes when they approached Arthur's station. He waited and secretly prayed for the _is this seat taken_ , that never came.

All that came was a shrill laugh. Merlin forced his eyes open and leaned into the aisle, following the sound.

He spotted a woman with red hair and orange skin, and heard another shrill laugh. She was sat at a table seat, with someone Merlin couldn't see. He was about to lean back to his seat when he saw a flash of blond hair.

_No... It couldn't be..._

Merlin strained to get a better look. He strained too far and almost slipped out of his seat. He needed a different tactic. He peered into the gap between the seats in front of him, but a large bag blocked his view. He silently cursed his bad luck, when out of nowhere the whole world turned gold and the bag in front of him flew to the ground.

Merlin jumped backwards and heard the man in the seat in front of him whisper, “What the hell?”

Heavily denying what had just happened (it was just the train going over a bump after all), Merlin leaned forward again, and peeked through the gap. He could see the woman, she shone like a beacon of orange. But the person next to her was out of view.

Well, desperate times call for desperate measures.

Merlin stood and walked down the aisle. He walked past the table and threw, what he hoped was, an inconspicuous look at the stranger with her.

It was him.

It was a slightly disheveled version of him. He looked tired or hungover or whatever. His suit needed ironing and there were bags under his eyes. He glanced up at Merlin as he walked past, but Merlin was too preoccupied with the woman's hand.

More specifically, the woman's hand playing with Arthur's hand.

That same hand that had roamed every inch of Merlin's body. The same hand that had played with Merlin's hands a few weeks ago.

Merlin felt sick. He kept walking straight until he reached the doors of the train. They were a good two stops away from his stop, but he didn't care. The second the doors opened Merlin was out without hesitation.

He walked in the general direction of his work, he already knew what would wait for him when he got there. After the whole ditching work for Arthur thing, Uther had told him he had one more chance. And there was no way Merlin would be on time today.

But Merlin didn't care. It was weird, he had only spent train-rides with Arthur and one night, but he felt like he knew him so well. He felt like he needed him, he _knew_ he needed him.

Clearly Arthur didn't need him though.

*******

Arthur yanked his hand away from the woman next to him. He rushed through an apology as he squeezed past her, she called after him but he was already halfway down the train. He pushed his way to the doors, but Merlin was already out of sight. Just to be sure, Arthur ran down the other carriage, checking each seat. He was met with tons of annoyed stares but none of them from the one he wanted.

Resigning, Arthur returned to his seat. The woman – Anna – looked at him with a questioning expression.

“What the hell was that?” She finally asked.

“I... Listen, I'm not going to work today. There's something I have to do. Can you handle the meeting?” Arthur rose again as the train slowed towards Picadilly.

He reached forward and pulled Anna to her feet. He walked her towards the doors, still glancing at every seat.

“Arthur what the hell is wrong with you!” Anna shouted as he pushed frantically at the open-door button, despite the train not actually being stopped yet.

He stopped pressing and turned to look at her, his face was panicked and he was kind of freaking her out a bit.

“This is the most important meeting of the year. Uther will be there, for God's sakes! You'll be fired if you don't attend.”

“Trust me, I won't.” Arthur said, some of his usual cockiness coming back to him.

“But why aren't you coming?” Anna pressed.

Arthur jabbed the button as soon as the train stopped, he gently pushed Anna onto the platform, “Just go! I'll be there later.”

“But Arthur!” She called, but he'd already wandered back to his seat.

She shook her head at his insanity and power-walked towards her office.

The doors closed, but the train didn't move. The quiet of the train was interrupted by the driver's announcement, “Apologies ladies and gentlemen, but due to unforeseen technical difficulties, the train will be slightly delayed. Again we'd like to apologise for any inconvenience.”

Arthur tapped his fingers anxiously against the train table. He stared out the window, willing the train to go. Ignoring all the annoyed stares being thrown at his ever-tapping fingers, he sighed through his pursed lips.

He had been such an idiot. He needed to explain, needed Merlin to understand.

He needed Merlin to understand something he didn't understand himself.

Ten minutes later, his patience finally ran out, Arthur stepped off the train and all but ran for Merlin's office.

*******

Arthur raced off and towards the familiar building. He burst through the front door and ran up to Ange. She was busy typing and barely glanced up at him. He cleared his throat loudly and she snapped up.

“Oh! Sorry dear! What can I help you with?”

“Merlin. Is he here yet?”

“He's not come in today, I'm afraid.” Ange glanced away quickly as she spoke and Arthur sensed she wasn't telling the whole truth.

“But I just saw him come in here...” Arthur lied back.

“Listen, you're a nice guy. Smartly dressed, work orientated, you know. But Merlin's in trouble with Uther, I suggest you keep to the shadows right now, unless you want to join him.” Ange looked away and continued typing.

“In trouble? For what?”

“What do you think?” She asked, not looking up, “First you drag him away during his report. Then today he shows up fifteen minutes late, looking a mess, claiming the trains were delayed. Merlin wasn't in Uther's good books. Then Uther got a call just as Merlin stumbled in, apparently Uther's son ditched some sort of meeting, I have to say, poor Merlin never stood a chance.”

Arthur ran a hand through his hair, causing it to stick up in odd directions. He wanted to bang his head against the wall, all of this was his fault. Now Merlin would lose his job, Arthur would lose Merlin. The last two weeks had been bad enough, he couldn't imagine the rest of his life without him.

He resigned to wait at the train station. No doubt Merlin would show up to catch his train home.

*******

“Get out of my office.” Uther finished.

Merlin stood silently and walked out. He didn't say goodbye to anyone who passed him, not even to Ange. Instead he just walked and walked and walked.

Until finally, he stopped. He stood on the platform and stared down at the tracks. He glanced up at the electronic timetable, and read, _Oxford Road Station - 10 minutes._ As he glanced away from the timetable he spotted Arthur.

He was slouched on a bench, his head flopping in Merlin's direction, a cup of undrunk coffee in his hand.

Merlin sighed and resigned to not go over.

He would not give in. He was probably only here to meet that orange woman.

A tiny voice in Merlin's head whispered, _But what if he's here for you._

That was all it took. Merlin practically ran over to Arthur. As he got closer, he noticed Arthur's eyes were closed. He slowed to a walk, stopping in front of him.

He felt the overpowering urge to reach over; remove the coffee from his hands; remove Arthur's tie and snuggle into him. But, of course, he didn't. All he did was clear his throat.

When that didn't work, he cleared it louder.

Still nothing.

He cleared his throat so loudly and for so long, several other people turned to stare at him. Merlin ignored them.

“Arthur, come on. I know you're not asleep.”

Arthur turned to look at him then.

“What gave me away?” He asked with a grin.

“Why are you here?” Merlin asked, folding his arms across his chest.

“I have to explain.”

“Look. No you don't. If I was just some cheap fuck, why won't you just leave me alone?” Merlin asked, throwing himself into the seat next to Arthur.

Arthur was speechless. Merlin actually thought that he was nothing to Arthur.

“Merlin...” But he trailed off as Merlin shoved his earphones into his ears, “You were never just a cheap fuck.” 

Merlin pretended he couldn't hear.

“Merlin. Please, just let me explain.” Merlin still didn't respond.

Arthur yanked Merlin's earphones from his ears, “Stop ignoring me!”

“Arthur. You're the one who left.”

“But it wasn't because-”

“Just forget it.” Merlin cut him off, he stood up and began to walk away.

Arthur threw his coffee to the ground, jumped up too and grabbed his arm. He spun him around and pushed him against the wall. Merlin was trapped between two muscled arms and held under two perfect blue eyes. 

“I can't forget it. There's something about you, Merlin.” He whispered through gritted teeth.

Merlin struggled to find a response but all was lost under that gaze. The wall was cold and rough behind him.

“Why do you think I chose you?” Arthur asked.

“What are you talking about?” Finally, Merlin found his voice.

“Why do you think I chose to sit next to you, Merlin? There were plenty of free seats, but I chose you.”

“I don't know.” Merlin muttered.

“You can't act like you don't feel it too. We're connected, Merlin. I don't think I could escape you if I tried.”

“Arthur, let me go.”

“No.” Arthur moved his arms closer to Merlin, trapping him even more.

“Arthur-”

Arthur pushed away from the wall and ran a hand through his already messed up hair.

“I had a dream.”

“Yes, most people have dreams, Arthur.” Merlin muttered, still leaning against the wall.

Arthur gave him a look of derision.

“You were in my dream...” Arthur continued.

Merlin's voice was lost once again. Arthur apparently had the ability to do that.

“We were running and” Arthur shut his eyes, “We were in a forest. There were people chasing us. Then suddenly-”

“We were falling.” Merlin finished.

Arthur snapped his eyes open and stared at Merlin.

“I had it too.” Arthur barely heard Merlin, “Well, I didn't know it was you... I was with someone.”

The train arrived then, but neither made a move to get on it.

“I don't understand... How did we have the same dream?” Merlin asked.

“You don't remember, do you?” 

“Remember what?”

“Everything! It's all confusing and completely insane but it was real. It was as real as you and I, right now.”

As he spoke Arthur had gotten closer to Merlin, and now he was stood inches away from him. He had a really weird, intense look in his eyes and Merlin recognised it. Like he had seen it a thousand times.

“You're insane.” Merlin whispered.

“No. Well, yeah probably.” Arthur smiled a small smile, “But it's real Merlin. I can't believe I ever forgot. I definitely can't believe you forgot.”

“What are you talking about!” Merlin shouted.

Arthur pulled away slightly before dragging Merlin into a bone-crushing hug, “You're still you. You're new and smell like soap but you're Merlin. Sarcastic, useless, magical Merlin.”

“Magical?” Merlin mumbled into Arthur's chest, he made no effort to pull away from Arthur.

They eventually pulled apart and Arthur looked into Merlin's eyes.

“It's okay, I know.” Arthur said, his hands gripped Merlin's arms.

“Know what?” Merlin asked.

“ _I_ _know._ You don't have to hide it from me. You told me, remember!”

“Told you what? You aren't making sense. You're scaring me and I just got fired, okay! I don't need this! Either stop acting insane or just leave me alone!” Merlin ranted, wide-eyed and panicked.

“You have magic.” Arthur replied, with a smug smile.

“I... You're mad.” Merlin shook Arthur off him and jumped onto the new train on the platform.

He didn't know where it was going, but away from Arthur was a good destination. Images of forests and swords were appearing before his eyes.  


	6. Chapter 6

Merlin eventually made it home. The train he had boarded had been heading to Manchester Airport. After being half tempted to board the next plane he saw, he got the train home. Arthur's words were spinning in his head, along with shiny swords and old dragons. He felt like he was going insane. He took two paracetamol to fend off the migraine growing in his temples. None of this was real, it was just Arthur messing with him, for whatever reason.

But as much as his mind tried to deny it, he couldn't deny how real it all seemed. Each time he closed his eyes he'd see that castle, and he'd be filled with that familiar sense of safety and responsibility. It was his home, it would always be his home.

Or he'd see Gwaine and his scruffy beard. Or Percival and his massive arms. Or Lancelot and his charm. Or Leon or Elyan or anybody else from Camelot.

He even saw Gwen, which was even weirder. She looked the same as she did now. Except back then, (if 'then' was even real) she wore extravagant dresses rather than jeans and a t-shirt.

She had married Arthur...

As a result of this, Merlin tried as hard as possible to prevent his eyes from closing. Which wasn't really that hard. On the train rides to and from the airport Arthur had called non-stop. Merlin's phone hadn't stopped beeping, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to turn it off. So he just watched Arthur's name flash on his screen repeatedly. At around the twenty-second call, Merlin decided to answer. He opened his hand to pick up the phone, but before his fingers could touch the shiny metal, it flew off the table and shot like a missile towards his head.

It smacked him very hard on the forehead. The gold tint on the world faded and Merlin stared down at his phone wide-eyed. He rubbed at his head, grateful he'd bought paracetamol earlier. He lifted his phone up, but he'd already missed Arthur's call.

A small voice (that sounded a lot like Arthur) in his head, whispered, “You have magic.”

But a louder voice covered that whisper with a repeated chorus of denial.

Merlin smirked slightly as he ignored Arthur's next few calls, in a way, it was like Arthur had just thrown something at him.

Not that Arthur would ever do that, of course.

*******

Merlin snapped awake. His eyes straining to make sense of the darkness. He could still see it. He snapped the bedside lamp on and blinked rapidly in the blinding light.

He took a few calming breaths. Arthur's words had gotten to him, that's all. It was a dream, nothing more. He lay back down, light still on, and stared at the swirls on the ceiling.

“Just a dream...” He whispered.

But it had felt like so much more. It had felt like a lifetime. A lifetime of swords and magic and dragons and Kings.

He was Merlin, Emrys, the great and powerful sorcerer.

And Arthur, was Arthur Pendragon, the once and future King.

He reached for his phone and scrolled to Arthur's name. Without hesitating he pressed the call button and listened to the ringing. It went on for a while, Merlin almost hung up three times before he answered.

“Hello?” He croaked.

“Hi.”

There was silence on the line before Arthur asked, “Do you remember?”

“Is it real?”

“It is.”

“Can you come over?”

“I'm already on my way.”

Then he hung up.

*******

The knock at the door was cut short by Merlin pulling the door open and throwing himself at Arthur. Arthur stumbled back slightly, but managed to hold Merlin up.

“I don't know what's happening to me.” Arthur could hear the pain in Merlin's voice.

He pulled away and saw the tears in his eyes. He reached out and brushed them off his cheek.

“What do you remember?”

Arthur pulled his jacket closer to him and shivered slightly.

“Everything. I remember arriving in Camelot.” Merlin's eyes became clouded, as though thinking of a distant memory, “I was made your servant for saving your life. I lived with Gaius, and you were the Prince. I had magic, but you didn't find out until you... “

He cleared his throat, and continued, “And Leon and Elyan and Gwaine and Lancelot and Percival, I remember them all.”

“And your boss...”

“Is your father.”

“I can get your job back.”

“I don't want it. Why didn't you tell me who he was?”

“I didn't want you to judge me on him.”

The wind was making Arthur's hair fly about, but he didn't complain as it made it's way into his jacket and through his pajama top. He had just thrown a jacket on and called a taxi to get to Merlin, so he was still in his pajamas.

“And Gwen. You married Gwen.”

“You acted like you were happy.” Arthur whispered sadly.

Merlin didn't speak for a while. He remembered the night before Arthur's wedding. The fake smile he'd plastered to his face, how he felt guilty for feeling jealous. He loved Gwen, but he loved Arthur more.

“I had to.”

“Did you... Did you love me?”

“Of course I did, you prat! I could never tell you.”

“You idiot.”

Arthur smiled, stepped in, shut the door, took Merlin's hand and lead him to his apartment.

*******

“Merlin?” Arthur whispered into the darkness.

After a lengthy conversation about their past lives in front of the fire, they had fallen into bed together. Now they both lay there, snuggled under the covers.

“Yeah?”

“What happened after I...” There was a long pause and Merlin thought he might have fallen asleep, but he continued, “After I died?” 

Merlin squeezed his eyes tight, he had been hoping to avoid this memory. But there it was, the image of Arthur dying in his arms. Merlin opened his eyes again, but it was still there, lurking behind his eyelids, he could feel it.

“I returned to Camelot...”

Merlin went on to tell Arthur of everything that happened the week after Arthur's death. From Gwen remaining as the Queen, to magic being restored in Camelot, to Leon becoming head knight. The memories were as clear as if they had happened yesterday. Eventually Merlin completed his update.

“Then what?” Arthur pressed.

“I... Left Camelot.”

“What!” Arthur tightened his grip on Merlin.

“It was too painful, Arthur. I had watched you die. Gwaine and Gaius were both dead. What was I supposed to do?”

“Where did you go?”

“I went back to my mother.”

“Were you happy?”

“I was okay. I was alive. I got married, lived my life. I knew I'd meet you again though, you are the once and future King after all.”

The words hung in the air for a while. Neither said anything more.

Why Arthur and Merlin were back now, at this time, was unknown. If Arthur was back and they were together, it was because something was coming. Something bad was lurking on the horizon. But as Arthur's hand roamed under Merlin's shirt, and Merlin's lips pressed to Arthur's neck, none of that mattered. All that mattered was that they were back together again. They were safe, at least for a little while. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the end! I won't continue this fic with why Merlin&Arthur are back, I'll leave that to your imagination. 
> 
> Let me know what you thought, you know I'm bad at endings.


End file.
